Peanut Allergy issue - is this going too far in your opinion?

[robinb]

well..it wouldn't totally be the kids fault...would it?

I mean...a PARENT probably bought the peanut butter...a PARENT could have made the sandwhich...all the kid do was eat it.

Why stop there? Why not sue the decendents of [size=-1]George Washington Carver?[/size]

 

[disneysteve]

I have a question. For those of you who have kids in peanut-free rooms or schools, how far do they carry the restrictions? Is it just peanut-containing foods that are banned or do they include tree nuts? What about products that could possibly have come in contact with nuts in processing, like a plain chocolate bar or cookie? What about soy which is a legume just like peanuts?

 

[stinkerbelle]

Why stop there? Why not sue the decendents of [size=-1]George Washington Carver?[/size]

Psst...why...did he invent peanut butter? or find the peanut?

giggle

 

[skiwee1]

So you don't think the boy that kissed the girl several hours after he had peanut butter knowing the girl was allergic will feel quilty for her death? I do.

Big difference between kissing someone and just eating it for breakfast! I would really blame the TEENAGER who had the allergy in that instance. At that age, she is responsible for herself.

 

[Planogirl]

I hope that someone is working on medications for such allergies. How awful it would be too constantly worry about coming into contact with these common products!

Personally, I think that I would try to homeschool such an allergic child. And knowing me, I'd be a constant nag about it too.

 

[Mermaid02]

My son used to eat 2 or 3 peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast every day (practically) then wouldn't eat again until supper. One day he said to me, "No, I don't want peanut butter this morning- it makes my throat hurt now." Out of the blue, we had an allergy to peanuts. This happened when he was 6.... he didn't starve, we found other things for him to eat.

When you have a child with a deadly food allergy you have to teach the CHILD to be careful. You won't always be there. Jack is now 8 and he reads labels and if he isn't SURE it's a safe food, he doesn't eat it.

The "request" is over the top, but it's only a "request". Feed your child whatever you like and wash them up well before you send them to school.

 

[disneysteve]

Big difference between kissing someone and just eating it for breakfast! I would really blame the TEENAGER who had the allergy in that instance. At that age, she is responsible for herself.

Just to play Devil's advocate, think about this. A teenage girl is faced with the possibility of kissing a teenage boy. In the midst of raging hormones, do you really think she will have the good sense to pause and ask what he's eaten lately and that he will have the equally good sense to answer honestly and forgo the kiss?

 

[skiwee1]

Just to play Devil's advocate, think about this. A teenage girl is faced with the possibility of kissing a teenage boy. In the midst of raging hormones, do you really think she will have the good sense to pause and ask what he's eaten lately and that he will have the equally good sense to answer honestly and forgo the kiss?

Well if the girl valued her life then I would hope so! My friend's DD is 6 y/o. She asks my DD before coming over if she has had any peanut butter. This little girl reads labels. I think that if a 6 y/o girl is trying to take responsibility for her allergies then a teenager should easily be able to do so. Will they? Who knows. The only one that will suffer for it is themselves.

 

[Planogirl]

Just to play Devil's advocate, think about this. A teenage girl is faced with the possibility of kissing a teenage boy. In the midst of raging hormones, do you really think she will have the good sense to pause and ask what he's eaten lately and that he will have the equally good sense to answer honestly and forgo the kiss?

On the flip side, what if the boy didn't even remember eating a peanut butter cup. Candy like this is kept lying around during holidays and a person might eat one and forget all about it later.

 

[disneysteve]

Well if the girl valued her life then I would hope so! The only one that will suffer for it is themselves.

Agreed, although I think others suffer too, like the family and the person who might have caused the reaction.

My point was that in the heat of the moment, either the girl might neglect to ask or she might ask and the boy might neglect to answer honestly. I wonder if there have been any legal cases along these lines. Have any charges been filed against the boy in this particular case? Did he know the girl was deathly allergic? Did she ask? And why didn't she have an Epi-pen with her to treat herself in case of a reaction? Or did she?

 

[Bob Slydell]

When you have a child with a deadly food allergy you have to teach the CHILD to be careful. You won't always be there. Jack is now 8 and he reads labels and if he isn't SURE it's a safe food, he doesn't eat it.

The "request" is over the top, but it's only a "request". Feed your child whatever you like and wash them up well before you send them to school.

Hopefully all children with peanut allergies is as diligent as your son.

I don't see the point in the request? Is it supposed to make the family of the allergic child feel more comfortable? If so, then it's counter-productive, because the second someone decides not to follow the request, the allergic child is in danger. Giving people a false sense of security is dangerous.

 

[poohandwendy]

Yes, this is going too far. The school is responsible to make reasonable accommodations for students. If a child that is so severely allergic to peanut products that they cannot safely be around people who have ingested peanut products during the course of the school week, they have no business attending a public school. The only reasonable accommodation in such a case would be for the school to provide in home instruction.

It is not reasonable to expect or rely on parents and students (or even visitors of the school) to refrain from peanut products outside of the school. They are trying to set up a level of protection that is false. JMHO

 

[DisneyPhD]

I think the request is over the top.

In regards to foods processed in a plant, there is so much. I am a lable reader because of my DD's milk and egg allergy. In my search for dairy free chocolate I have yet to find any that isn't processed in a plant. (I have found some 100% dairy free, but that is very rare and sold at whole foods.)

Not only chocolate but many other foods too.

As a parent who is learning to adjust to live with food allergies, I do think they make you insane. (or at least a little nuts, bad pun I know.)

Food allergies suck. My DD will more then likely out grow hers, I feel lucky about that. We don't think she is allergic to peanuts. Her sister and I eat peanut butter and she has never had a reaction from it, she has come in physical contact with it, but I don't think diguested it yet.

I feel for the family with a that serve of allergy, life must be hard for them. Howeve the request is over the top.

 

[Mermaid02]

Hopefully all children with peanut allergies is as diligent as your son.

I don't see the point in the request? Is it supposed to make the family of the allergic child feel more comfortable? If so, then it's counter-productive, because the second someone decides not to follow the request, the allergic child is in danger. Giving people a false sense of security is dangerous.

Exactly! That's why we don't want Jack's classroom "peanut free" - Jack needs to be diligent, not complacent! I do appreciate other parents bringing in "safe" treats so my son can partake with the others during parties etc, but frankly unless it's store bought and he can read the label on the package he won't take ANYONE'S "word for it" except mine or my husbands that he can eat something.

He also developed a shellfish allergy about 3 months after the peanut allergy reared it's ugly head. That's less of an issue though- kids tend not to eat shellfish at school!

 

[SeeDisney]

I too have a son who was tested for a peanut allergy. Though to this date, he's never ingested it. Fortunately, he's not the extreme sensetive type (so far).

I do know several kids who have the EXTREME allergy wherein an 1/6,000 piece of a peanut is ingested it can do be life threatening harm.

Recently, 15 year Canadian girl died from kissing her boyfriend who had peants.


The classmate's parents is just pleading for help from every family to help out their child's life.

Please consider helping by just having your kids eating peanut butter on weekend, etc.

 

[Ava83]

o you don't think the boy that kissed the girl several hours after he had peanut butter knowing the girl was allergic will feel quilty for her death? I do.

The boy did not know she was allergic, it was in People Magazine Oh and the boy carried and epi cause he was real allergic to something

(yes I read it, have a subscription even)

 

[LadyBears]

I think it is over the top. What is next? The kid has a dentist/doctors appointment or a bus ride or a taxi cab or goes to a store or to the library or to a professional sports game - basically any public place - is everyone who is in the place the kid needs/wants to go who had pb in the last 24 hrs must leave so the kid can enter? I feel bad for the child, but he needs to learn to take care of himself instead of growing up expecting everyone everywhere is going to have never had pb because they "may" come in some contact at some point in his life. That doesn't sound fair to anyone.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

I applaud you. You're teaching your son how to deal with his allergy...and you are taking responsibility for it. Not getting ready to point the finger at a child that had PB on his toast for breakfast.

Thank you! But, I don't see that I am doing anything different than any other parent who's child has an obstacle in life should be doing. His allergy is a card that he was dealt, and we all have to learn to live with it. While having other people who are willing to help accomodate him is certainly nice, it's not their responsibility, it is mine (until ds is old enough to look out for himself...and he's getting there). And, I would NEVER blame another child for exposing him to peanuts. Except in the extreme case, which I just heard of recently, where a child maliciously smeared peanut butter crackers on another child, knowing that the child was allergic. However, if it was as innocent as the other child having PB for breakfast...no way. While this is a terrible allergy to have to deal with, it just becomes a part of your everyday life. While I pray for his safety every day, I also thank my lucky stars that we are not in a hospital battling something like leukemia.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Big difference between a person feeling guilty about something, and someone else accusing him of murder. I know that if peanut residue on my dd's hand caused an allergic reaction which resulted in the death of another child, I would feel horribly guilty about it, whether or not I knew the child was allergic. It would probably affect me for the rest of my life, just as it would if a child dashed out in front of my car and I was unable to brake in time to prevent my car from killing him. This does not equate to taking the blame, or to a murder accusation.

As for "starving" without peanut butter, I know it's not meant that your child would literally starve. Obviously, if pb didn't exist or if your child was allergic to it, he/she would find alternate foods. But I can see how tiring it would get from the point of view of peanut allergic parents, (face it, it always gets said in any peanut allergy discussion), when it most certainly isn't true. Someone said their family was vegetarian, right? Wouldn't it cause you to roll your eyes if a friend of your childs came to spend the night and her parents said she had to eat bacon (real bacon, not that soy stuff) for dinner and breakfast, it's all she'll eat and she'll starve if you don't serve it to her? If it does, then multiply that feeling by about 1,000(??) and maybe that's how a peanut allergic parent might feel hearing the "starve" comment again and again. If not, well, you're a better mom than I I just can't stand such exaggerations.

Oh, and as to the school's request in the OP, I do think it's a little over the top, but it was just a request, not a order. It would have been better to include the request that "if you must have pb in the morning, please make sure your child washes well afterward." I'm sure the child's parents know that not everyone will comply with the request and they will still teach him to be diligent. Reducing exposure is still helpful, though. Just because the risk will never be completely eliminated is no reason to say that schools shouldn't try to reduce it, IMO. That's like saying the nation's highways shouldn't have speed limits because some people will speed anyway.

 

[Mermaid02]

And, I would NEVER blame another child for exposing him to peanuts. Except in the extreme case, which I just heard of recently, where a child maliciously smeared peanut butter crackers on another child, knowing that the child was allergic.

This happened to my ds in first grade. Another child had peanut butter crackers for his snack and then thought it would be funny if he "man handled" everything in my ds's lunch box. My son ate NOTHING that day because of this- and he never told the teacher because he was scared Jordan would do it again when he didn't know it- then he would eat the lunch and die. Kids can be so cruel.